Jeremy- United States Senate- Night 49
Memorial Tower could never be seen in its entirety. From every angle, some part of the massive structure was invisible. There was always a building, a hillside, even a thoughtfully placed angle of the structure itself blocking off a series of windows. From the top of the parking garage, the peak was completely invisible. For all the pair knew, the building could have been left without the top sixty floors. Jeremy counted only thirteen rows of windows.
John pulled his backpack out of the pickup truck and began loading it with everything he wanted to save. Jeremy watched carefully as the bag was filled. Three bottles of water, protein bars, a first aid kit; all were essentials. The one item Jeremy noticed out of place was a battered address book. Even as John pulled it out of the truck, pages fell out and joined the lost thoughts littering the concrete. John’s pistol was noticeably absent. He didn’t want any killing in the coming hours.
Jeremy waited for his partner to pass by before taking it for himself. A weapon may not be necessary, but it felt good to be back in control. Jeremy almost felt like himself again.
The two behaved as they always would have on the streets of any other city. They had someplace to go, and they took no detours. Where they might think an action was careful, someone living on the streets may notice an oddity. Oddities were not welcome near the headquarters of the Faction. One wrong move would have them caught. They had someplace to go. They were going to arrive quietly.
John led them into the building, then straight to the elevator. Jeremy stared down the receptionist.
“I’m not suspicious, I’m just walking through,” he whispered under his breath, willing the woman to think the same.
A phone call pulled away her attention just in time for John to pull his comrade into the elevator. The doors closed, and the veteran faced the massive list of numbers before him. Jeremy reached past without hesitating, lighting the bold 14 with a dull yellow glow.
“Do you see a thirteen on that list?” Jeremy asked.
John scanned the first row of numbers and shook his head.
“You can’t get rid of something just by hiding it,” Jeremy said, looking John in the eyes. “It’s always there. You can’t hide it behind a mask or a coat. You can control everything if you're willing to admit that.”
The door opened, and Jeremy immediately left the confined space. John stayed in the elevator, his hand on the pocket holding the battered phonebook.
“Feeling lucky?” Jeremy asked, slowly opening the first door to their right.
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